Featured Post

Sunday, January 13, 2008

'NYT' Public Editor Hits Hiring of Columnist

In a piece that has drawn relatively little attention so far, Clark Hoyt, The New York Times' public editor, today called the paper's decision to hire Bill Kristol, the rightwing pundit, a "mistake," and noted that the Times' had received almost 700 letters of complaint -- and only one note praising the choice. Then there was this: "Kristol refused to talk with me....an odd stance for someone who presumably will want others to talk to him for his column."

And the fun continues: Kristol's second column is in Monday's paper, hailing the surge in Iraq and the Democrats refusal to join in. He writes: "Obama’s view of the current situation in Iraq is out of touch with reality. In this, however, Obama is at one with Hillary Clinton and the entire leadership of the Democratic Party." Here's a full summary of the Clark Hoyt critique:http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003695900

is author of a dozen books (click on covers at right), including the new "THE TUNNELS: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill." He was the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher. Email: epic1934@aol.com. Twitter: @GregMitch

4 comments:

greg, this is all garbage. why is nobody talking about the main thing. the main point. the number one problem nobody is talking about with kristol. forgot conservative or liberal or promoter of the war or anything else. forget all of that.

he has made statements, countless statements about domestic and foreign policies for years, the overwhelming majority of which have been completely wrong! THAT IS THE ISSUE.

the NY Times is the most important paper in the world. why do you give any space to someone who is statistically wrong most of the time.

if someone goes and gets 3 doctorates at harvard all exploring foreign policy, but then every prediction they make about foreign affairs is completely wrong...do you give them a space. do we give britney spears a space because she's famous.

my point is, what the hell is the criteria here. regardless of what degrees someone has, or if they're famous, or if they are rich or known for starting some popular paper, why should someone have access to one of the largest megaphones in the world if they have shown to not know what the hell they are talking about?

as far as im concerned, this isnt about politics, its about reporting. the times has been appropriately slammed for doing shoddy reporting the last several years. how do they respond to this..by hiring columnist who has been more wrong on issues than they were. that's the problem

Greg, I've seen a couple of Editor and Publisher articles about Kristol's op ed and the fact that he made an error with his Michelle Malkin. What you guys aren't highlighting is the fact that he was actually *wrong* about two things: The michelle malkin quote and that Barack Obama would win in NH. I know that Kristol wasn't the only person to get that prediction wrong, but I still think it notable that it's only his first column and he's already been wrong about *two things*. And plus, he was more confident in the Hilary downfall than most other pundits.

ok, so now, in his brilliant follow up article, this monster has the nerve to attack others for "bring wrong" about the iraq war, this time blasting dems for saying the surge wouldnt work. of course, when we cited the deaths and attacks for why things were bad, they said they didnt matter. that it was the political progress that mattered. now that deaths are supposedly down, they say that it's a measure of success.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK

Just published in October by Crown. Click on cover (above) to order at nice discount. It's a thrilling history of escape tunnels--under the Berlin Wall--and JFK's attempt to suppress NBC and CBS films about them. Hailed by Bill Moyers, Alan Furst, and Frederick Forsyth, others. Paul Greengrass attached to direct movie. "A fascinating and complex picture of the interplay between politics and media in the Cold War era.” -- Washington Post. "A gripping, blow-by-blow account."--Publishers Weekly (starred review).

Award-Winning 'Campaign of the Century''

"Upton Sinclair's Race for Governor of California--and the Birth of Media Politics": Amazingly influential and wild 1934 race with great relevance for today.

"Atomic Cover-up": Shocking suppression of U.S. film

How U.S. buried for decades the key footage from Hiroshima shot by the U.S. military. Click on cover above for my popular book and e-book.

New Edition of my book on Bush, and Media, Failures on Iraq

Preface by Bruce Springsteen. "Read this book--twice." -- Bill Moyers

New Edition of Our Beethoven Book!

G.M.'s book w/ Kerry Candaele, a tie-in to our new acclaimed film. E-book and print.

New Edition of my "Tricky Dick and The Pink Lady"

The notorious Nixon-Douglas race in 1950, a New York Times Notable Book, now in new print and e-book versions.

My Book on the Bomb with Robert Jay Lifton

Acclaimed book on nuclear culture, and political and psychological fallout in the USA. Written with Robert Jay Lifton. Click on cover to read more or order.

Hollywood and The Bomb

My book on MGM's 1947 epic on Hiroshima and creating the first bomb--and the White House censorship that wrecked it. E-book just $2.99.

"Vonnegut and Me" E-book

Conversations and close encounters with the novelist. Click cover for more. $2.99.

How the President and the Military Censored MGM's Anti-Nuke Epic!

The truly wild and important story on the unmaking of 'Most Important Movie Ever Made.' Just $3.29. Click cover to order.

My Latest Book: On Hollywood Politics!

Why and when did the movie biz turn "liberal"? The full and fun story, and the left-wing election campaign that sparked it. Click on cover for more. $3.99.

Unique E-Book on the Obama-Romney Race

Probes campaign 2012 and the aftermath--plus 500 clickable links to key stories and videos! Just $2.99. Click on image above to read more or order.

Search This Blog!

New Edition of U.S. vs. Pvt. Manning Book

Updated: The saga of the whistleblowing soldier, written with Kevin Gosztola. Hailed by Glenn Greenwald, Daniel Ellsberg. Click cover for more.

About Me

is author of a dozen books (click on covers at right), including the new "THE TUNNELS: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill." He was the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher. Email: epic1934@aol.com. Twitter: @GregMitch